Saturday 27 April 2013

Rising to the Scent of Home

"My what a feeling to fly,over mountain and forest and trees
I can go anywhere that I please." Abba -Eagle.

How many of us in the midst of a gritty,tearful day,have looked up and watched an Eagle fly,glide soar over head .He catches a thermal and lets it do the work of lifting her high .The pigeon flaps,many times and never seems to get the distance. The hen flaps and never leaves the ground. The society we live in will pin us down,it doesn't like Eagles. She rises higher and higher and looks at the sun.

Thanks to Jesus ,one day we will soar up to be with God . Real freedom is the freedom to love and to love God who is love. Next time you feel trapped ,close your eyes and picture the Eagle soaring up high ,gliding past problems being where heshe was born to be.

In my new book 'The Scent of Home' Drew Faulkner is up to his neck in problems till he starts to look up and realizes for real only the Lord can help. Shifting his focus from the problem to the solution ,from the mud to the sky.
"..and I dream I'm an eagle and I dream I can spread my wings flying high.." God is still in the business of maKING dreams come true. Happy soaring.
 

Sunday 14 April 2013

"Commando"


The name of the "Commandos " struck fear into the soldiers of the Axis powers during World War II and their successors are fighting in Afghanistan today.
When they were formed in 1940.Britain had her back to the wall, Europe had been over run by the Nazi infestation and Churchill the British Prime Minister formed an elite force to strike back into occupied Europe and the later the Far East .

The training was the toughest possible and the guys had to pass all the sections or they had to go back to their units. The memorial is at Spean Bridge and the wild country round about was their training ground. They often went on op's knowing they would not return. So feared were they that Hitler ordered that any commandos caught were to be shot out of hand .They only one who refused to do this was Erwin Rommel who knew courage when he saw it and knew good soldiers when he met them .
Their motto was "United we Conquer" and they built up strong bonds of support and friendship.All the Commandos I have met have been tough,stalky characters who looked as though they could do serious damage with the 'Sykes -Fairbairn' knife.

My character RSM Angus McTurk (from my book The Scent of Time and soon to be published sequel The Scent of Home ) is based on aCommando .

There they stand and it is good that we have memorials to courage not just to remember those who died in World War II but those of the British and United States forces who have paid the supreme price so that we can be free Freedom both internal and external is very costly, these guys stand at Spean Bridge to remind us of that .

Sunday 7 April 2013

Wingman

It must be wonderful to be able to fly one of these. I spoke to a WW2 Mustang (on right) pilot who had covered the North Sea .He said it was so hard to settle down to a desk job after flying one of these.
One key factor was your 'wing man', the guy and /or now girl who flew beside you. They had your back, you could concentrate on what lay ahead. It must have been a great comfort when you saw the enemy to know that someone was flying with you. Who remembers the picture protrayed in the Abba song 'Eagle'

It is not just in aircraft but we have folk who back us up in life.That rare handful of folk who stick by you no matter what.Those you can count on the fingers of one hand .The platinum people. Yet how often do we thank our wingman for flying with us, for being there when the storm comes or the flak starts flying ?

My dad told me that poeple like that in your life you can count on the fingers of one hand if you are blessed .The old man was dead right .Have you appreciated your wingmen? Good old Bob ,good old Susan -just imagine if they were not there. Appreciate them while you can.

I married my wing woman ,but there is One who is even greater ,The One who sticks closer than a brother -Jesus Christ .He promised 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' He is impervious to flak
and covers you (Psalm 91). One thing the devil will not mess with that wing man.